Arnot-Roberts

I’m not sure how we heard about Arnot-Roberts but when I mentioned to our uncle that they had a tasting room and winemaking facility in Healdsburg, he was ecstatic. Apparently, he was a customer back in their Forestville days and had a bottle of their 2010 Syrah in his wine fridge.

While the tasting room is located in the town of Healdsburg, getting there is a bit of a trick. We would not suggest walking there. When you pull into the parking lot, you think you’re definitely in the wrong place (The Healdsburg School?) but the winery is around the back. On first glance you might think this is going to be another warehouse tasting but they actually have a lovely set-up outside with picnic benches and a bar.

For $45pp (reservations on Tock) we sampled six wines, and there wasn’t a bad one in the bunch. Although they no longer make my uncle’s Syrah he was delighted to find a Ribolla Galla on their menu as he and his wife had just returned from Fruili in Italy. The Sauvignon Blanc was interesting, with 70% of the grapes spending time in full oak barrels, but we preferred the Chardonnay, which had notes of stinky cheese and ask. We thought it would pair well with Brussels spouts, pumpkin soup, or a BLAT (i.e. a great Thanksgiving wine …kinda wondering why we didn’t purchase this.)

We did purchase the Trouseau most-widely planted in the Jura region of France. I thought it smelled like rose perfume. While my uncle wants to serve it (in a few years, of course) with a Peking duck, I’d probably go with something a bit more local like sausage and comté cheese or a coq au vina jaune with morel mushrooms.

We also loved the Zinfandel (actually a field blend!), which our host aptly called “the heritage grape of our region.” Husband said it was the color of a movie theater. It had notes of earth, sand, chocolate, red fruit, all spice, anise, and black tea. Someone called it “extroverted.” lol We suggest pairing it with meat and some charred scallions.

We didn’t purchase any bottles of the Cabernet Sauvignon, but FYI it is BETTER than Ridge’s Monte Bello for about half the price. Why didn’t we buy this? Seriously, we must go back so I can.

Also: dog friendly!